Plan your perfect garden with Bovis Homes

25 June 2015

Now is the time to get your garden ready for summer! Planting a few flowers around the borders, or adding a bit of colour to some patio pots can brighten up any outdoor space.

If you’re thinking of laying top soil, sowing grass seed or need help on where to place your plants, here’s a handy infographic on planning your perfect garden.

Before planting anything, testing your soil to find out the pH type is the first step in planning your garden. Plants thrive in different types of soil so make sure your plants suit the ground they’re in, otherwise there will be problems with growth and foliage.

It’s easy to test soil pH type as most garden centres stock DIY test kits that give good indications of the soil type. There’s a quick test that can be done at home, using vinegar and baking soda. The pH test will reveal whether your soil is acid or alkaline:

pH 7.0 is neutral

anything below 7.0 is considered acid

anything above 7.0 is considered alkaline

It is possible to lower the acidity or alkalinity of soil through adding elements such as lime for acidic soil, and sulphur, or iron sulphate for alkaline soil.

Alternatively, using pots gives you control over the soil type to ensure the conditions are right for the plants you choose to grow.

Use our plant chart below to plan what flowers would suit your garden.